STELTEN, Gene
Gene Luis Stelten, 93, of Roswell, GA, passed away on February 10, 2022. A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church on Wednesday, February 23 at 10:30 AM. Gene was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on March 4, 1928, the son of Clarence and Rose Steltenpohl. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Electrical Engineering, and entered the military service shortly thereafter, serving in the U.S. Air Force until the end of the Korean War. He ultimately embarked on a 32-year career in sales with Motorola, which offered him the opportunity to be in constant contact with people and the thrill of closing deals. After retirement, Gene became active with Habitat for Humanity where he generously volunteered thousands of hours in the boardroom and on construction sites. As Director of Development, he raised over one million dollars to help needy families, and he later wrote four books, including one children's book, donating all of the nearly $200,000 proceeds to the construction of additional Habitat homes. The city of Alpharetta honored Gene in 2002 by naming a street after him, and Habitat ultimately constructed 16 new homes on Stelten Way. Gene's finest moment came in 1951 when he spotted a cute brunette, Jeanne Buzek, in nursing attire on a crowded trolley bus in Cincinnati. When she got off, he pretended it was his stop as well. The rest was a beautiful love story, as Gene and Jeanne married on October 30, 1952 and started a family that grew to six children, fifteen grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. Gene received many awards for his service to Habitat and his community, including the Presidential Service Award in 2007 that was created to thank and honor Americans who inspire others to engage in volunteer service. But Gene never sought attention or accolades, only to serve others humbly and raise his family in the Christian faith. Gene's favorite Bible verse was Philippians 4:8, for which he coined an acronym, THRPLGEP, to remind himself to focus on things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, gracious, excellent, and worthy of praise, as preached by Saint Paul. This verse was the blueprint of how Gene led his life. He is survived by his children: James (Gretchen) Stelten of Harrisonburg, VA, Sue Shaw of Sandy Springs, GA, Lynn (Al) Cherpak of Lawrenceville, GA, Nancy (Wayne) Jackson of Sandy Springs, GA, and Will (Erica) Stelten of Decatur, GA; grandchildren: Andy Stelten, Mike Stelten, Mark Stelten, Carla Lutin, Brittany Burnett, John Gortney, Ross Gortney, Allison Gibbs, Bryan Jackson, Jenna Jackson, Kevin Jackson, Vander Stelten, Drew Stelten and Cade Stelten; great-grandchildren: Hiatt Burnett, Sutton Burnett, Jake Gibbs, Shepherd Gibbs, Collins Gibbs, James Stelten, and Cooper Jackson. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jeanne Buzek Stelten; his parents, his sister, Myra McKnight, his son, John Stelten, and his grandson, Jeffrey Jackson. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Habitat for Humanity of North Central Georgia.
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Funeral Home Information
Roswell Funeral Home
950 Mansell Road
Roswell, GA
30076